Arab League to hold emergency talks on Iran-Saudi row

Weekend emergency talks will seek to condemn violations committed by Iran against sanctity of Saudi embassy in Tehran.

Middle East Online

CAIRO - The Arab League will hold emergency talks at the request of Saudi Arabia on Sunday to discuss attacks in Iran on the kingdom's embassy and consulate, its deputy head said. The weekend talks are aimed at "condemning the violations committed by Iran against the sanctity of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad," Ahmed Ben Helli told reporters on Monday. The meeting, which comes after Saudi Arabia broke off ties with the Islamic republic amid a row over Riyadh's execution of a Shiite cleric, was also aimed at "condemning Iranian interference in Arab affairs", he added. Tensions have risen between the two oil-rich Gulf rivals after Saturday's execution in Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia of prominent Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose death has sparked fury. He was put to death alongside 46 others, including Shiite activists and Al-Qaeda-linked militants convicted on charges of "terrorism".